The first two production Atalanta 26 (A2 Tellulah and A3 Andana) were built in June 1956. By May 1958 there were over seventy Atalanta 26 and the Fulmar was about to start production. (The Titania and Atalanta 31were still 3 years away.)
The first meeting – defining the AOA
Fairey Marine floated the idea of an Owners Association. With membership applications from forty three boat owners and supported by Fairey Marine, a group of members got together to form the ‘Atalanta Owners Association in May 1958 in the RNVR club in London. At that meeting the principles that still underpin the AOA were laid down: Annual AGM and social, annual rallies, an Annual Bulletin, promotion of the boats, led by boat owners.
The first AGM
Fairey Marine’s Alan Vines and E.H. Thatcher, both keen Atalanta sailors, were established as President and Vice President; other boat owners became the Secretary and Committee members. The meeting also appointed National Secretaries for the Canada and USA – the boat had already established a strong following over the Atlantic, partly due to the efforts of the O’Day corporation. The Constitution and officers were cemented in the first AGM in January 1959
Thereafter the Association has continued in pretty much the same vein for over sixty years. There have been ‘tweaks’ in the constitution along the way reflecting the changing interest and fortunes of the boats and Fairey Marine. However the AGM and its associated dinner / lunch have remained a key foundation stone for the Members’ mutual support. Records of those meetings and the Committee meetings, sometimes dry and matter of fact, sometimes full of narrative about the boats and owners, provide an interesting insight into these amazing boats and the characters that owned them.
With the exception of the very first meeting the AGM Minutes, including Financial Reports, are available only to Members of the Association.